


It's Not Much

by LizbethTheKoala



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-26
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-01-13 19:33:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1238347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizbethTheKoala/pseuds/LizbethTheKoala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Walking to the bus stop after his latest job interview, R.J. Lupin notices a young boy running from a gang of bullies. Father/son</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This story was originally posted on fanfiction about 4 years ago under the username Nymphadora Potter, but never finished. This first chapter is actually the first 3 chapters from the original that I compiled together and edited for minor mistakes and style. If you read it previously and don't want to reread it, it's really not that different. The only major change is I swapped two characters names, but they aren't present until almost the end of the chapter anyway.

_ Chapter 1 _

            Mr. R.J. Lupin was walking to the bus stop near the park after his latest job interview. After being rejected in all the wizarding establishments because of his “furry little problem”, he had decided to travel the muggle job circuit. Today’s interview was at the Surrey drill firm—Grunnings—in sales. He was sure he hadn’t gotten the job. The look in the interviewer’s eyes told him he clearly wasn’t welcome here, which was odd considering he was just an ordinary muggle as far as the man was aware. He continued on, lost in thoughts of what to do next, when he was quite suddenly knocked out of his reverie by a young boy with a strikingly James-like shock of black hair. ‘ _Stop thinking like that, you’ll only make it worse,’_ Lupin berated himself, still crushed by the betrayal of his friends by another supposed friend five years ago.

            “I-I-I’m s-sorry, sir. I-I wasn’t looking wh-where I was g-g-going. P-P-Please don’t tell m-my uncle, sir. I-I really am s-sorry,” the boy stammered out frantically, his eyes pointedly fixed at his feet.

            “Hey hey, it’s all right, don’t worry about it,” Lupin replied kindly. He looked up, grateful. _‘His eyes are just like Lily’s were. I wonder why he’s so afraid I’ll tell his uncle though.’_ Before he could ask, however, a jeering shout rang through the otherwise quiet streets.

            “Oi Potter! Scared, are’ya?” _‘Potter?’_

“Give up, Potter?” ‘ _Could it really be him? After all these years?’_

            The boy made to run, but Lupin grabbed him firmly by the shoulder and crouched down to ear level. The boy’s green eyes looked to Lupin’s amber in confusion. “Wait here for a second,” he whispered, “I won’t let them hurt you.” He straightened up and put both hands protectively on the boy’s shoulders.

            “What are you three doing?” Lupin called, his voice light and casual.

            “You don’t want to bother with him, sir,” the clear leader replied, his voice dripping with mock-politeness at the admittedly shabby man before him.

            “Yea, he’s only Harry Potter, a freak,” the other spat. _‘It really is Lily and James’ son, it has to be.’_

            “There will be no need for that kind of language. Why don’t you two run off and play somewhere else?” he replied calmly, though the hard look in his eyes betrayed a different, slightly more dangerous story. The boys paled a bit at Lupin’s glare and turned tail, running off to bully some other poor sap. 

            “Th-thank you, sir,” Harry replied, looking greatly relieved, though slightly apprehensive.

            “No problem, kid. Do they always act this way? Don’t their parents stop them?”

            “St-stop them? Why should they? I’m j-just a freak.”

            Lupin was disconcerted by this. No child should be treated bad enough to think such things about themselves. “No Harry, you’re not a freak, don’t ever think that,” Lupin reprimanded him gently. “Listen, do you—I mean, would you like to come home with me? With a little luck, we might be able to get you away from your uncle for good.” Harry stared at him, shock evident on his face. Lupin, reading his expression the wrong way, continued, “I mean, you don’t have to. I don’t know what I was thinking, really, you’ve only just met me, of course you don’t want to leave your family for a complete stranger, forget I offered.”

            “No! Of course I’d love to go with you!” Harry almost yelled, horrified that his stupidity might have cost him the chance to get away from the Dursleys for good. “I j-just, well, I was just really surprised you offered at all. You h-heard what Piers said, I’m just Harry Potter, a freak.”

            Lupin crouched down in front of the boy again and told him kindly but firmly, “Harry, listen to me, and listen well. You are not a freak, and you will not call yourself that.” Lupin was appalled that such a sweet child could be brought up to have that great of an inferiority complex.

            “Yes, sir,” replied Harry meekly.

            “Call me Moony or Remus, Harry.”

            “Yes,si-Remus,” he corrected himself.

            Lupin smiled at the young boy, “Shall we head to the bus stop then?” Harry nodded enthusiastically. Chuckling at the young boy’s antics, Lupin remembered something. “Oh, and Harry?”

            “Yea?”

            “Happy birthday.”

_ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _

Lupin watched Harry the entire way to the bus stop, wondering when the child would come to his senses and bolt. ‘ _Not that I want him to, really, but even the three bullies were scared of me. What’s gotten into me? I can’t just take a kid away from his family.’_ Lupin examined Harry closely, trying to find a reason to justify his peculiar actions. _‘Well, he is rather small and skinny for his age, looking more like four than six. And he’s squinting, like he needs glasses. I wonder if his eyesight’s ever been tested…’_

“Harry, do you normally wear glasses?” Harry shook his head in a vigorous no. “Has your family ever taken you to get your vision tested?” Lupin pushed, but was denied again. ‘ _Well, I suppose that answers my question, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s mistreated. There’s a fading bruise on his upper arm that looks like it might be a handprint, but it’s hard to tell with his shirt covering it. I’ll have to examine it later.’_ He looked back towards the child, who was fidgeting and bouncing about as they walked.

“You can ask me anything you want, you know. I wouldn’t mind the company on the ride,” he remarked as they got on the bus and found a seat near the back.

            “Really?” ‘ _Merlin! Why does the child sound so surprised?’_ “Only, my aunt and uncle normally don’t let me ask questions.” _‘Not ask questions? How is he to learn anything?’_

“You may ask me anything you like.”

            “Why did you tell me happy birthday?”

            “Is it not your birthday?” Lupin asked, bemused.

            “No, it is,” Harry replied, not sounding particularly excited about the fact. “but how did you know?”

            _‘Of all the questions…. Now, how do I explain this without revealing too much? I have a feeling he doesn’t know about our world at all, and this muggle bus probably isn’t the best place for explaining.’_ He could have taken the Knight Bus, but he didn’t find it an altogether pleasant experience, and apparating in a muggle town was strictly out of the question. Others may do it without a problem, but the ministry’s anti-werewolf regime forced him to abide by their every whim and fancy, lest he be placed in Azkaban with his traitorous former best friend. “You see, Harry, I knew your parents from when we were in school together, and I knew you when you were just a baby.”

            “You knew my mom and dad?” he asked incredulously.

            “They were some of my best friends. Would you like to see some photos? I have quite a few in an old album somewhere. I’m sure you’ve seen most of them, though there are a few from their wedding that I’m fairly sure I own the last remaining copy of.”

            “No, I’ve not seen any…. Aunt ‘Tunia doesn’t like my mum. She won’t talk about her, and she smacks me if I bring up my parents at all,” he replied matter-of-factly. Lupin nearly let out a sigh of relief. This surely was a good enough excuse to intervene. He decided to send a patronus to Dumbledore, asking to meet up with him later, though when he’d be able to send it he wasn’t sure. Before he could think about it anymore, Harry decided to continue with the questioning, looking nervous, but rather excited to be able to ask questions as much as he pleased.

            “Why did you say I could call you Moony?” he asked, looking honestly curious.

            Lupin smiled fondly at the small _‘too small’_ child, and explained, “That’s what your father used to call me. In fact, you once called me ‘Unca Mooey.’ I thought that you might want to use that instead of my given name, since you had before, though I expect that you would have the proper pronunciation down now, I’m not a cow,” he grinned to show he was just joking, and Harry shyly grinned back.

            “Did my dad have a nickname too?”

            “Yes, he was Prongs. He loved stags, so we named him after their defining feature.”

            “Their... what…?” Lupin had momentarily forgotten that he was, in fact, talking to a six-year-old, albeit a relatively intelligent six-year-old.

            “A stag has rather large antlers, no? The tip of the antlers, or prongs, is what we named him after.”

            “Okay…” responded Harry, still looking a bit confused. “But why were you Moony then?”

            Lupin grimaced a bit, but answered in the same light tone he had been using. “My animal was the wolf, so they called me after the moon the wolf howls at,” he hoped the child wouldn’t notice his slip, and sure enough he looked over it. “Along with two others, your dad and I made up The Marauders, our schools biggest mischief makers.” The child looked incredulously up at him, obviously not believing that he could ever have played a prank.

            “Stop fifteen,” came the bus driver’s bored drawl.

            “Merlin, Harry, that’s us. Come on, prongslet.” After the bus pulled away, Lupin swiftly bent down and slung Harry onto his back. Harry instinctively clasped his arms and legs around him in a choke hold.

            “Oi!” Harry cried out in surprise. “What’re you doing?”

            “Giving you a ride to my house, of course. It’s a bit of a walk.” _‘Though I would normally just apparate to my doorstep once the bus was gone. I haven’t actually walked it in quite a while.’_ There were a few benefits to living in a mostly wizarding village. Since everyone here was either a wizard, a squib, or an informed muggle, magic could be used freely as long as the bus wasn’t running through. The occasional tourist was known to wander through, but the charms on the shops made them look cold and uninviting to anyone who didn’t know about magic, and they often left not long after arriving.

            Harry loosened his grip a bit and continued his questioning. “Prongslet?

            “Well, yes. If your father was Prongs, that would make you a Prongslet, would it not?”

            “I suppose,” he consented with a sigh that tickled Lupin’s ear. “Where did you and my dad go to school?”

            “A err… private boarding school in Scotland,” Lupin replied truthfully, for Hogwarts _was_ a private school, just not in the usual muggle sense. After a couple minutes of companionable silence, Lupin remarked, “We’re nearly there now, you can see it just around this bend.” He pointed to a small, cozy house on top of a slight hill. There were five steps carved into the hillside leading to a path to the front door.

            “Sorry, kiddo, but I have to put you down to go up the stairs. They’re too steep to carry you up.” Lupin swung Harry down, grabbing his hand instead. Harry looked at the stairs with doubt. “A bit big for you, aren’t they?” Lupin asked wryly, for they came up well past his knees. Harry merely nodded. “Tell you what; you jump up, and I’ll pull you the rest of the way. It’ll be a bit awkward, but it should work.” Lupin stepped up to the first step and reached down for Harry’s other hand. “Come now, jump.” Harry jumped up and was swung up to the first step when he promptly started giggling. “Now what’s so funny, mister?” Lupin mock-demanded.

            “That was so cool!” he laughed. “It was like I was flying!” _‘Figures James’ son would like flying.’_ Remus snorted at his thoughts. “Hey!” Harry cried indignantly, “Why are you laughing?”

            “You remind me so much of your father.” Lupin hoisted Harry up the remaining steps in the same fashion; Harry giggling so contagiously, Lupin had to join in with his soft chuckle.

            Still chuckling, Lupin led Harry up to the front door of his house. Carefully releasing his wand from its holster on his wrist, he silently cast two spells in quick succession. Cracking open the unlocked and de-warded door, Lupin cast another spell to freeze the visible pictures in their natural positions. He threw the door open the rest of the way and joked, “Were you going to stand there and admire the view all day, or do you want to come inside?”

            Harry quickly spun around, flushing a scarlet that would make any Gryffindor proud. “I-It’s very pretty here, sir.”

            Lupin, smiling kindly, replied, “It is beautiful, yes, I think that’s why I moved here. And yet, sometimes, I’m in such a hurry I don’t even stop to notice it. I’ve been looking for a job, you see. I actually had an interview earlier this morning, before I ran into- well, before _you_ ran into me.” He suddenly realized that Harry, being six, probably had no interest in jobs and interviews, and bent down to take his hand instead. “I’ll tell you more about it some other time, let’s just go inside for now.

            Pulling the door shut behind them, he said, “It’s not much, really, just the five rooms and the garden out back. The kitchen, dining room, and wash room are really all the same…” He trailed off awkwardly.

            “I think it’s brilliant,” he replied, then promptly yawned, exhausted by the day’s events no doubt, though it was only just coming on noon. “I’m sorry, sir, I’m a bit tired. One of Dudley’s friends spent the night, and they thought it was funny to take turns jumping on top of my cupboard most of the night,” he explained.

              
            “There’s no need to apologize, Harry, it’s quite alright. And what did I say about calling me ‘sir’? It makes me feel old.”

            A spark of mischief flashed through the young boy’s eyes, reminiscent of Lupin’s own years of mischief making. “Sorry, ‘Unca Mooey.’” He joked, making his name sound like a cow’s moo, though the James-like effect was nearly lost when he looked up for approval.

            Lupin roared with laughter, and Harry’s mischievous smile returned full force. “You definitely are your father’s son, no doubt about that! Why don’t we put you in this room and you can take a nap if you wish.” Harry nodded tiredly and Lupin opened the door on their right to reveal an average-sized bedroom decorated in shades of blue with accents of gold and bronze. There was a four-poster bed in the center of the room, a chest of drawers at the foot of the bed, and a night table with a lamp on the left side of the bed. The rest of the room was covered in books. There were books on the shelves that lined all the walls, books on the bed, the dresser, the nightstand, and even a few stacked neatly on the floor. “Sorry about all the books, I have a rather large collection. My room’s the same way. It’s almost all I ever get for my birthday and Christmas. Of course, I’ve bought a good portion of them for myself too.” He sighed good-naturedly. “It’s amazing I’ve not had one repeated yet.” He scooped all ten volumes of “The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night” by Richard F. Burton from the bed. “I wish I could find the original John Payne’s, but they’re quite rare,” he said, staggering over to one of the shelves and setting them up out of Harry’s reach. “So…erm…I have an errand to run, so you could… I mean, if you happen to wake up before I’m back, you could read some of the books, I suppose. I think some of the ones on the bottom shelf by the door are intended for younger readers.” He looked over at the books in question and realized that, although intended for younger readers, they were most definitely not for someone of Harry’s age. “Actually, that might not be the best idea. Umm…I know! Hold on a second.” He dashed out of the room and grabbed a manuscript off his desk. Back inside, he brandished the sheaf of papers triumphantly and said, “I’m translating a book of children’s tales into English so I can publish it for young readers. I only have three done so far, but you can read them and tell me how they are, if you wish.” He was planning on publishing a translated copy of _“The Tales of Beedle the Bard”_ under a pseudonym to try and earn some money. The only other version on the shelf was Beatrix Bloxam’s _“The Toadstool Tales”,_ and that was so nauseatingly cute that most kids demanded for the book to be removed from their presence and burned, so he figured his would do well.

            After placing the unfinished manuscript on the nightstand atop a teetering stack of Jane Austen’s, he went over to the dresser and rummaged until he found an overly large t-shirt and tossed it to Harry. “Here’s an old shirt you can kip in. The bathroom is that door there to the right of the one we came in.” Harry disappeared into the bathroom and came out a few moments later, the clothes he was wearing neatly folded. Lupin had to crack a smile at how silly the child looked; the t-shirt went down past his knees and elbows and hung in loose folds on his slight frame.

            “What was my mum’s name?” he asked, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

            Lupin was burning with anger at Harry’s aunt and uncle. ‘ _He’s treated poorly, underfed if his size is anything to go on, he’s not allowed to ask questions, and he doesn’t even know his own parent’s names? How could Dumbledore justify leaving him with such people? Surely, if I was an unsuitable guardian, there was a wizarding family willing to take him in, I mean, he did save all their lives. As soon as Harry’s asleep I’m going to have to talk with Dumbledore.’_

Lupin walked over to Harry and ruffled his hair, making him look more like James than ever. “Lily, Harry. Your mother’s name was Lily, and she was one of the kindest people imaginable. I’ll let you rest now, and when you wake up I’ll tell you all about your parents.” Harry climbed into the bed and Lupin tucked the covers around him. After turning off the lights, he cast a monitoring charm to let him know when Harry woke up. He sent a patronus to Dumbledore, letting him know that he’d be at the gates of Hogwarts to discuss a matter of importance in five minutes.

            Locking the door behind him, he disapparated with a loud _crack_ and landed neatly in front of The Three Broomsticks. By the time he arrived at the gates a few minutes later, Dumbledore was already waiting.

            “Remus, my dear boy, welcome. You had something of importance to discuss?” he greeted Lupin warmly, a familiar twinkle in his eyes. “Would you like to come up to my office and discuss it over tea?”

            “Yes, thank you.” They walked in silence until they reached the statue. Dumbledore stated the password (sugar quills) and it slid aside, allowing them access to the revolving staircase. Once they were seated with their tea, Dumbledore indicated that he should begin. “It’s about Harry Potter, sir,” he stated bluntly. “He’s at my house, napping. I don’t think he’s being treated right where you put him.”

            “Oh?” Dumbledore questioned, waiting for him to elaborate.

            “No. He’s much too small for his age and greatly underweight, he’s not allowed to ask questions, he’s been bullied to the point of a severely unhealthy inferiority complex, I think he might be abused, definitely neglected, and he didn’t even know his own parent’s names! Lily and James’ son, Albus. After all they did for The Order, after all _he_ did for The Order, you put him with a bunch of people who obviously hate him! I know his aunt smacks him, and if the bruise on his arm is anything to go by, he suffers much worse than that. I think they lock him in a cupboard! How could you do this to an innocent child, Albus?” Lupin’s eyes were damp when he concluded his rant and he rubbed them fiercely, not having intended to let his emotions run rampant.

            Dumbledore shook his head sadly. “I knew Petunia was jealous of her sister, but I had hoped that she wouldn’t take it out on Harry. Unfortunately, he must stay there, for his own protection.”

            “But surely, if I was unsuitable, there was another family willing to take him in?”

            “Remus, my dear boy, you misunderstand me. I think you would have made an excellent guardian for young Harry. Yes, most excellent indeed,” he repeated at Lupin’s disbelieving look. “The reason he has to stay with his aunt is that his mother’s blood flows through her.” Dumbledore gave Lupin a searching look, willing him to understand.

            “What…? Oh! You used blood magic, didn’t you?” Lupin queried, realization flooding through him. “I see, so as long as he calls that place home, he’s protected. Brilliant, sir.”

            “Ah, so you know about it? I was hoping you would.”

            “Yes, I was studying blood magic just this past month.” He had been hoping that he might be able to find a way to cure his Lycanthropy through one of the old rituals. Of course, no one had ever been able to find a cure, but he had his theories about a couple of them. “Yes, very clever sir, and nearly infallible too. The thing is, though, I’m not so sure that Harry really calls that place ‘home’, so the charm can’t be at full power. He was only too eager to come with me; he didn’t give a second thought to that place. Surely, that makes him vulnerable?”

            Dumbledore shook his head sadly. “Unfortunate as it is, he still calls it home, if only at a purely basic level. I would have known if it had broken all together. It is true, it does weaken the charm a bit, but there’s still nothing more powerful than his mother’s blood. As long as he spends two weeks there each year, he will be safe wherever he goes.”

            “His mother’s blood…” Lupin mused. Suddenly, an idea hit him, in nearly the same manner as Harry himself had before. “Lily. She donated blood to me one day after a particularly violent full moon; early second year, remember? She was the only one who knew about my situation who had the same blood type, really the only student who knew at all because she figured it out well before even James and Sirius. I had already had too many potions to take another Blood-Replenishing Potion, any more would have reacted unfavorably. From then on, she donated blood whenever I needed it, which was almost every full moon until fifth year when, well when I was able to control it a bit more. Even after that she donated blood because she knew I hated the taste of the potion. Wouldn’t that count, Albus? Shouldn’t it even be stronger since it’s _her_ blood that she willingly gave to me, and not just her sister’s?

            “Yes,” Albus groaned, the happy twinkle gone from his eyes, “why didn’t I think of that before? I was in such a hurry to protect him that I didn’t even remember that she had given blood to you. It would be undoubtedly stronger.”

            “I don’t blame you, Albus; I probably would have done the same. You’ve kept him safe for all these years, and that’s what counts. Is it possible, then, to rework the charm around me? Or, I think Lily gave Severus some blood after a particularly volatile potion exploded thanks to Sirius if you feel he would be a better guardian…”

            “Hush, child,” he chastised, the twinkle back. “You are the only remaining person on Lily and James’ will that they wished for Harry to go to, should something happen to them. Mr. Black is in Azkaban, and the Longbottoms are in St. Mungos, so, naturally, none of them can take him.”

            “And Peter is dead,” Lupin said bitterly, freshly reminded of his supposed friend’s betrayal.

            “Ah, yes. That was most unfortunate, however, Peter Pettigrew was never in their list of guardians for Harry. It was Mr. Black, you, and then the Longbottoms. They left no further instruction. I believe Mrs. Potter had a—ahem—falling out with Severus?”

            “Yes, that she did. He called her a vile word, though I truly don’t believe he meant it, and they had a terrible argument right in front of the entrance to the Gryffindor common room. But you can rework the charm, right?”

            “Yes, I believe so, though you will need the Dursleys to sign over his guardianship to you. I will be sure that the papers go through the right people so that there are no inquiries. I will be there in,” he looked at his watch, “about six hours. You will need to tell Harry that he is a wizard before that time, it will make the charm stronger if he is willing. And, if I’m not mistaken, it is young Mister Potter’s birthday today?” Lupin nodded and Dumbledore walked off with a quick, “Excuse me for a moment.” He came back after a few minutes, carrying a bundle of fabric with a bit of old parchment on top.

            “James’ invisibility cloak! And The Marauder’s Map! I would’ve sworn Filch had burned—” Lupin abruptly cut off, looking sheepish.

            Dumbledore chuckled, “I take it you know what these are then. I would like for you to give these to Harry. It would be most lamentable if the son of one of the Marauders never found any of Hogwarts secret passageways.”

            Lupin looked at him, disbelief etched in his face, before slowly reaching out and taking the bundle. When he didn’t snatch it back and yell ‘Just kidding!’, as he fully expected him to do, Lupin secured the bundle more firmly in his arms and said, “Thank you, sir. I’m sure Harry will be very pleased to have something from his father.”

            “I do wonder whose form he shall take after, when the time comes.” Dumbledore winked and tapped his nose, while Lupin paled at the thought that his friends’ secrets weren’t as secret as they thought. “Right then, here you go my dear boy,” Dumbledore said as he waved his hand, snatching a thin packet of papers from the air in the process. “These are the guardianship forms. They have to sign the third page and you the last.” He handed the small stack to Lupin. “The other four are just legal drivel. They reside at Number Four Privet Drive, Surrey. I wish you luck.”

            Taking this as a dismissal, Lupin turned around and left after thanking him one last time. As soon as he crossed the apparition barrier, he turned on the spot and disappeared, finding himself in the bushes behind #4 Privet Drive. He knew he oughtn’t have apparated directly into the muggle town, but he wasn’t planning on letting his mission known to the Ministry, and the magic already around the house should disguise his magical signature enough. Tucking the papers into his cloak, he straightened himself up and walked to the front door, rapping on it quite a bit harder than altogether necessary.

            A rather horsey looking woman opened the door, and upon realizing she didn’t know him, said, “We don’t want whatever you’re selling, goodbye,” and made to slam the door.

            Lupin hastily slid his foot inside to stop it from closing, wincing a bit when it hit him. “Ah, but I’m not selling anything. I’m here about Harry Potter,” he said casually.

            The woman opened the door again and replied shakily, “There is no Harry Potter here. I don’t know _what_ you’re talking about.”

            “Oh, I believe you know perfectly well what I’m talking about. You see, Harry is currently napping at my house, and he told me all about how you treat him.” It was only a slight fib- he _did_ know how Harry was treated, to an extent, but he had deduced it for himself.

            “Don’t believe a word he says!” She nearly shrieked, “He’s a malicious little liar, intent on breaking up our family!”

            “Why don’t we take this inside, or do you wish for neighbors to hear the rest of this conversation?” She took a quick look around to see all her neighbors peering out of drawn curtains. Flushing angrily, she opened the door the rest of the way to allow him entrance.

            After firmly closing the door behind her and slamming all the windows she hissed, “The little brat didn’t even come back to make us lunch.”

            Lupin shook his head sadly, “It’s shameful, really, treating your own flesh and blood like a common servant.”

            “How dare you!” Her voice escalated, “Who are you to tell us how to treat the boy?”

            Lupin smiled, happy that she’d finally gotten to the point of the conversation. “Me? I’m merely one of Lily and James’ best friends, concerned for the safety of their little boy. I’m here to gain Harry’s guardianship from you, nothing more, nothing less.”

            The woman froze in shock. “You! You’re one of _her_ lot! Get out of my house!” She suddenly started shoving him towards the door without much success.

            “Now that’s not very polite.” He replied lightly, as if commenting on the weather, and steered her to the couch. “All you have to do is sign here, and we’ll never bother you or your family again.” She pursed her lips tightly, but snatched the forms out of his hands. Stiffly signing it with the proffered quill, she shoved the forms back at him and motioned for him to leave.

Before he could even move, not that he was going to (he still needed the husband’s signature), the door was flung open and a large, vaguely-familiar man walked through. Upon spying Lupin, he pointed a meaty finger at him and sputtered, “Y-You! You didn’t get the job, you know. I just called your house to tell you. There’s no need to pester my family about it, you just weren’t qualified enough.”

            “Qualified?” Lupin snorted. “You just didn’t like me, it had nothing to do with my qualifications. Anyways, I’m not here about your stupid job.” Mr. Dursley opened his mouth to say that the job was in no way stupid, but quickly closed it again when he found Lupin’s wand pointed between his eyes. “I’m here to gain guardianship over Harry Potter. You will sign these papers,” he said, waving the stack of papers he held in his hand, “and I will leave without any trouble. If you refuse to sign, I will be forced to bring more people into this, and I don’t think you want that.” Mr. Dursley squeaked out something that sounded like ‘mimble-wimble’ and shakily signed the papers. “Very good. Now, I will just take Harry’s things and be on my way.” He _accio’d_ Harry’s items and was disappointed at the few things came flying towards him. He deftly caught them and sorted through them to find a shirt and a pair of pants that seemed much too big for him, a blue and gold shooter marble, and a battered old blanket. He shook his head disapprovingly at them and disapparated right from their living room.

            Arriving squarely on his doorstep, Lupin stepped inside and set all the stuff on the table. The cloak and the map he neatly wrapped in the morning’s copy of ‘The Daily Prophet’. The headline at the top of the parcel showed a beaming Gilderoy Lockhart, celebrating the release of his latest adventure. Lupin grimaced at the man he knew to be a fraud and transfigured the wrappings into a shiny, green paper. The clothes he transfigured into a red shirt with a gold lion on it and a pair of blue jean shorts and laid the set on the edge of Harry’s bed. The blanket he quickly cleaned and mended, placing it next to the clothes, while the marble he pocketed to give to him later. Seeing as Harry was still soundly asleep, he went to get him one last present. Scooping up small rocks as he walked, he made his way to his friend Katharine’s house. Kat had been in his year at Hogwarts, a Ravenclaw, and she knew about his ‘furry little problem’. They had become friends during their seventh year, studying for their N.E.W.T.s together when Lily and James were too distracted by each other to pay any attention to their friends. She was now the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures at the Ministry, and bred kneazles as a hobby.

            “Hey Katie, how are you?” He greeted her warmly as she opened the door to let him in.

            “Hi, Remus! What brings you here today? You’re not sick, are you?” She asked, scrutinizing him for any signs of illness. “Full moon’s not for two weeks.” Katharine was an accomplished potions maker, and one of the few skilled enough to create the Wolfsbane potion for him every month.

            “Must I be sick to come visit an old friend?” he joked as they sat down on her couch. “No, I’m here about your last litter of kittens. Weren’t they born about six weeks ago?” Lupin remembered that there had been a new litter of kittens two moons ago.

            “Why, yes. Misty had a litter. I didn’t realize you were interested in owning a cat, I would have given you one ages ago.” She replied, confused at his sudden interest.

            “Well, I never was, to be honest, but I just received guardianship over one of my best friend’s son, and I remembered how fond he was of their old cat. I’d like to get him one, if that’s alright, for his birthday.”  
            “Yes, of course!” she smiled brightly, grabbing a basket and filling it with all the supplies needed to take care of a cat. “You said you gained guardianship over him? How old is he? What’s his name?”

            “Harry’s six, Katie. His birthday’s today.”

            “Harry…?”

            “Potter. Harry Potter, Lily and James’ son.”

            Kat gasped and dropped her basket. “You’re the guardian of The-Boy-Who-Lived? Rem, that’s incredible!”

            “He’s just a six-year-old boy, Kat. Nothing more, nothing less. He doesn’t know he defeated the darkest wizard of our time. Merlin, he barely knew about his parents! His previous guardians treated him like a house elf. You can come over if you want, but please don’t gawk at him. He’s just a poor, mistreated, little boy.”

            Katharine nodded, then said, “Why don’t I invite Lizzie and Andrew too? I believe Westley is around Harry’s age. I’ll bring some cake and we can have a proper party.” Elizabeth (who hated being called Lizzie) and Andrew were her twin sister and brother-in-law, respectively. Westley was their son.

            Lupin hesitated for a second, then agreed. “Sounds great. When can I expect you?” Though calm on the outside, he was secretly jumping for joy- he had liked Katharine since the beginning of seventh year, but always knew he couldn’t be with her because he couldn’t bear to tell her about his lycanthropy.  Once she figured it out herself, and didn’t seem to mind, he couldn’t help but hope that she might feel the same way. Only problem was, he just couldn’t work up that Gryffindor courage to ask her.

            “I’ll be there around two. What are you going to cook?”

            “Cook…?”

            “Yes, yes, it’s a birthday party, you have to cook.” She replied impatiently.

            “Erm, I didn’t really think about that. I think I have some leftover chicken in the fridge…”

            Kat muttered something about incompetent men and stalked over to the fire. She grabbed some floo powder from the pot on the mantle and shouted “Lizzie’s Place!” before sticking her head in. She conversed with the person at the other end, presumably Lizbeth or Andrew, for a few minutes, then jerked her head back out. “They’ll be there at two as well. Lizzie’s baking a cake, and Andrew will bring stuff for burgers. He can transfigure something into a grill, I’m sure.”

            Lupin grinned sheepishly and thanked her. As he prepared to leave she called out, “Hey Rem, aren’t you forgetting something? Like, maybe, a cat?”

            “Oh, I figured you’d like to give it to him, since they’re kind of your thing. I’ll just transfigure some stones into a set of marbles to match his shooter.”

            “Oh no, I have something else to give him.” She grinned wickedly. “Lizzie and I were just discussing it. It’ll be from the three of us.” She walked into her room and brought out a tiny, mewling, grey kitten. She dropped it unceremoniously in the basket and shoved the whole thing at him. “Here, have a cat. Enjoy.” And shoved him out the door.

            “Thanks Kat, you’re the best!” He said, just before she slammed the door.

            Lupin heard a muffled “Yea, yea. You owe me one, Rem,” shouted through the door and smiled before heading back home, shaking his head at the fact that Kat still insisted on calling her sister Lizzie despite her many protests.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lupin hurried back to his house to wake Harry. He had a lot to explain, and only twenty-five minutes in which to do so. Just as he was stepping up to the front door, the monitoring alarm went off, making a buzzer-type noise in his head. _‘Oh good, Harry’s just getting up. Perfect timing.’_ Lupin smiled. He quickly canceled the monitoring charm and walked into Harry’s room, setting the basket just outside the door in the process. Harry was sitting up and stretching, a yawn forming on his lips. “Hello, Harry.  Did you sleep well?” Harry’s calm, peaceful expression suddenly morphed into one of fearful repentance.                      

 

            “Oh no!” he cried, “I’m s-sorry sir, I slept t-too long and I d-d-didn’t have time to r-read your st-stories! It w-won’t h-h-happen again s-sir, I p-promise! P-p-please d-don’t h-hurt m-m-m-me….”  He trailed off fearfully, his pleas becoming nearly illegible with his stutters.

 

            _‘Just how badly did they treat him there, to make him fall apart like this at the slightest provocation?’_ Lupin resolved to find out just how bad the situation was as soon as he could, so he could make sure Harry knew he never had to be worried about that again. “Whoa Harry, settle down. It’s alright, you didn’t have to read it, I only brought it to you so you could look at them if you woke up before I finished my errands,” Lupin comforted as he sat at Harry’s feet. “I’m glad you got some rest, you looked like you needed it. First things first, I hope I’m right in assuming you didn’t want to remain with your aunt and uncle?” Harry nodded earnestly. “Excellent, because I’ve spoken with Professor Dumbledore and your aunt and uncle and I’ve had your guardianship transferred to me. Of course, you wouldn’t remember Professor Dumbledore; you met him when you were only a baby. Harry, I’ve got to tell you something.” He suddenly blurted out, looking anxious. “Harry, you’re…well…you’re a wizard, Harry.”

 

            “I’m a what?” he asked, looking entirely bemused.

 

            “A wizard. I am too, and so were your parents. The private school we went to was a school for witches and wizards.”

 

            “But-but I can’t be a-a wizard. I-I’m just Harry! Just Harry.”

 

            “Ah, but you are a wizard, Harry. I can see you don’t believe me, but here- I’ll prove it to you.” Lupin unsheathed his wand and conjured up a blue plastic glass, filling it up with water. He handed the glass to Harry who just stared at it with awe. “In five years, you’ll be able to do all that and more. But we can discuss that later, we have to get you ready for your birthday party.”

 

            “Birthday party?” Harry asked as if he’d never heard the words before.

 

            “Well, yes. It is your birthday after all. It’s nothing big, just a friend of mine, her sister and brother-in-law and their son who I believe is around your age.”

 

            “But, I’ve never had a party before. The one year I asked about one, Uncle Vernon told me that freaks like me don’t deserve parties. He said that maybe if I was normal like Dudley, I would deserve one.” Harry suddenly burst into heart-wrenching tears. They flooded down his face in great streams, and his small body quaked with the force of his sobs, but he was perfectly quiet. Not a sound escaped him except for the occasional small sniffle. This was even more heartbreaking than the Dursley’s words, for he knew that it had to be their fault that he cried so soundlessly.  Lupin immediately scooted towards him and pulled him close, rubbing soothing circles on his back.

 

            “Harry, it’s all right Prongslet. It’s your relatives that are the freaks, not you. They were horrid people, and they didn’t deserve to have such a wonderful kid as you. You’ll never have to go back to there, I swear to it.”

 

            He slowly calmed down, his sobs going from violent shakes to soft tremors until they finally stopped altogether. His eyes were red and puffy, but there was a small, hopeful smile growing on his face. “R-really?”

 

            “Really. Now, how about you take a bath before everyone arrives, it’ll make you feel better.” Lupin went into the bathroom and ran the tap. He handed Harry the transfigured set of clothes and showed him where the soap and shampoo were. “Toss me your clothes before you get in and I can transfigure them for you as well.”

 

Moments later, the door cracked open and a neatly folded stack was pushed out. He picked them up and examined the pile, looking at the boxers in disdain. Although he hadn’t been forced to wear his cousin’s castoffs in this particular item, it seemed as though the Dursleys had bought a package of underwear that were several sizes too big for him and just let him use those for a few years. It looked like they had once been grey, but they were so faded and bleached they were mostly white. The edges were frayed, and the elastic had broken and was being used as a tie. Lupin performed a series of several transfigurations, and when he was finished the elastic was fixed, they were shrunk to a suitable size, and were a pale bluish-white.  The oversized shirt he transfigured into a blue and gold striped jumper, while the clothes Lupin found Harry in were now nice blue jeans and a green t-shirt. He pushed the boxers back under the door, and pulled the last two oversized t-shirts from his drawer. After transfiguring them into a set of Gryffindor pajamas- red and gold plaid flannel bottoms and a soft red t-shirt with the house crest on the front- he put those and all the other clothes  into the drawer, making a mental note to get him some proper clothes before too long, as he was running out of things to transfigure.

 

Lupin dumped the pebbles he had collected out on the bed along with the shooter marble. He carefully transfigured the pebbles to match the shooter until he had a full set of marbles. He then transformed a scrap of cloth into a black velvet drawstring pouch, and scooped the marbles into it. Harry came out of the bathroom looking like a true Gryffindor in his new outfit and his hair dripping all over the floor. Lupin flicked his wand and a gust of warm air blew it dry. Harry looked shocked and his hand flew up to feel his hair. Upon finding it perfectly dry, he exclaimed, “How did you do that?”

 

            Lupin grinned and twirled his wand, “Magic, remember? Come here, I want to check your vision.” He patted the bed beside him. “I used to have to do this all the time for your father, he was always needing a new prescription. ‘Scriptus Revealio’” He said, pointing the wand between Harry’s eyes, the boy in question going cross-eyed trying to look at the wand tip. A scroll of paper materialized out of his wand, and Lupin glanced at it and frowned slightly. “Mmmm, yes. You do need a set of glasses. Hold on a moment, I’ll be right back.” Lupin went into his room and pulled his old trunk out from under the bed. After rummaging for a moment, he pulled a slim pouch from its depths and, after putting the trunk back neatly, took it to Harry.

 

            “Your father gave me these when I told him I wanted to practice changing the script on glasses for extra credit in transfiguration. They were his when he was your age; I think he would have wanted you to have them.” Lupin changed the prescription to fit Harry’s vision and handed them to him. Harry put them on and blinked, surprised. “Better?” Harry nodded. “Good. Now, shall we open your first present?”

 

            “Present?”

 

            “Why yes, of course. It _is_ your birthday after all. Come on!”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! If you read the first chapter when it was first published, there have been a few minor changes. Nothing huge, though I did switch a few character's names. They weren't really super important in the first chapter, though you may want to skim it to bring yourself up to speed.

_ Chapter 2 _

              Lupin grabbed Harry’s hand and gently pulled him into the living room. “Happy birthday, Harry!” he beamed as he picked up the basket and handed it to a very bewildered little boy. “Well, go on then, open it.” Harry sat on the floor and carefully lifted off the lid to reveal a sleeping grey kitten.

               “Awwww,” he cooed, and promptly picked it up and snuggled it close to him. The kitten purred happily at the attention and wriggled further into his arms. “Is this really for me?” he queried, with a huge smile and bright eyes.

Lupin sat down next toHarry and said “Yes, he’s really for you. Everything we need to take care of him is in his basket.”

               Harry looked at the basket skeptically. “But all that’s in there now is the pillow he was on.”

              “Ahh, but Harry, you’re forgetting the best part. Magic!” Lupin pulled out the tray with the cushion in it to reveal a basket far bigger on the inside than it appeared to be. Harry hugged the kitten closer and peered into it, startled at the sheer amount of items that it contained. Lupin chuckled at the boy’s wide-eyed wonder and asked “Well, what are you going to name him?”

              “Ashes,” he stated decisively, just as a knock sounded at the door.

              “Ashes it is then!” Lupin proclaimed as he got up to answer the door. Harry carefully placed the kitten onto the pillow still in the tray next to the basket and followed behind Lupin. Harry hid behind Lupin’s leg as he opened up the door to reveal not the small gathering he expected, but a whole crowd! Not only were the expected Kat, Elizabeth, Andrew and Westley standing at his door, but also Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprout, Augusta and Neville Longbottom, Willow and Luna Lovegood, and the entire Weasley family. All in all, there were nineteen people grinning on his doorstep.

             “Not to be rude or anything, but what are you all doing here?” Lupin asked mildly.

             McGonagall spoke up first, “Dumbledore told me that I should be here around two and that Harry was here, he didn’t give me any other explanation. I brought Pomona along for company.”

              “I invited the Weasleys and the Longbottoms!” Liz spoke up cheerily. “I thought Harry might like some more company his age, and Westley is friends with the kids.”

              “We were about to head out to track a crumple-horned snorckack through the woods and we bumped into the Weasley’s, who invited us to come along as well,” offered Willow Lovegood serenely.

             “Well, come on in and make yourselves at home I suppose. Do you have enough burgers for everyone, Andrew?” inquired Lupin as he opened the door a little wider.

             “For sure, Remus!” Andrew responded, “What do you have that I can transfigure into a grill for a bit?”

              The group filed in as Lupin replied, “Oh, just anything outside would be fine really, in fact I have an old chair out there that you could just leave if you’d like.” Harry peeked out from behind Lupin’s trousers at all the people surrounding him. Lupin ruffled his hair affectionately and said “Harry, these are some friends here for your birthday. As you heard me mention, the one who just headed out back is Andrew Talcott, and this is his wife, Elizabeth, and their son, Westley.” Lupin looked around as he gestured to the smiling woman with short brown hair and the strawberry-blonde boy clinging to her skirt and realized that his living room was just not designed to comfortably hold twenty one people. “Why don’t we move into the kitchen, it’s a bit roomier in there and you can put your packages on the table as well.” Lupin led the rest of the group through the door that Andrew had just passed through into his much more spacious combined kitchen and dining room.

              “Anyway, this bunch here is the Weasleys. Bill and Charlie are already in Hogwarts—” the two teenaged boys waved and smiled at Harry, who was still hanging onto Remus’ pant legs, not used to being around so many people “—and Percy starts school next year.” Percy smiled politely at Harry and returned to reading his book. Before Lupin could introduce the twins, they took it upon themselves to make their introductions to Harry.

              “Hiya Harry! I’m Fred—” one of the twins exclaimed, grabbing Harry’s hand and vigorously shaking it.

              “He’s not Fred I am! _He’s_ George!” interjected the other twin, taking Harry’s hand away from his brother and shaking it just as vigorously. Then the two boys promptly started tussling with each other, paying no mind to the rest of the group around them.

              “Oh don’t mind them Harry dear,” spoke up Molly Weasley. “I’m Molly and this is my husband Arthur, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Ron here is your age, he just turned six, and Ginny will be five in a week and a half.” Ron grinned widely, while Ginny looked at her feet shyly.

              Introductions continued on with a lot fewer antics for the Longbottoms, the Lovegoods, and the two professors, and just as they were wrapping up Andrew called everybody outside to eat.

              “I took the liberty of procuring a couple picnic tables, Rem. I wasn’t sure your dining room could handle all of us, plus it’s a right fine day,” stated Andrew as everybody shuffled outside. “I figure all the kids can sit at one and the adults can sit at the other.”

              Andrew was still bringing plates of burgers and salads over to the tables by hand, and Elizabeth teased him for it. ‘Dear, you’re a wizard, why don’t you just—” she flicked her wand and sent the rest of the plates flying neatly to the tables.

              “You know they’d all just end up on the ground!” Andrew laughed.

              “That was a very nice Undetectable Extension Charm you placed on the basket, by the way, Liz.” remarked Lupin.

              “Ahh, did Katie-bear give you one of my baskets? It’s truly a nifty little charm.” Kat scowled at Elizabeth’s use of her nickname, but (wisely) chose not to say anything.

              Arthur took control of the group and boomed “Alright you lot, let’s eat! Kids at one table and adults at the other. Yes Bill, you do count as a kid.” Bill shrugged as if to say ‘Oh well, I tried” and continued to the kid’s table at his father’s urging.

              Harry walked towards the kids table with the rest of the children, but hesitated when it came to choosing a seat. Before he was able to stand around too long, Fred grabbed his hand and pulled him to a seat between him and Neville. Lupin made sure to sit as close to Harry as he could at the other table, worried that the boy might get overwhelmed with so many people around him. He didn’t have much to worry about, however, because Fred and George kept Harry entertained with stories of their mischief around the Burrow with occasional interjections from Neville, and Harry seemed content to mostly just listen and ask a few questions. After a couple minutes of worrying about Harry, Lupin relaxed and joined the conversation at his table.

              “I was just saying, Remus, how fortunate it was that you ran into Harry today. Did you have any idea that he was just around the corner in Little Whinging? Right horrid town, that is.”

              “Not a clue, Liz. Last I had heard of Harry was that Dumbledore had taken him and he was safe with relatives. I wish I had known that ‘safe’ was a relative term. I don’t think he realized how horrid Petunia and her husband really are though. Thankfully everything is worked out now. Dumbledore will be by around half six to finalize everything.”

              “That’s wonderful Remus dear. You best make sure you get him to eat, he’s rail thin!” Molly scolded.

              “Now now dear, the man only just got him a few hours ago, I’m sure he’ll be in good hands!” spoke Arthur gently.

              “You know, I think it’s just about time for presents!” Kat exclaimed, shouting the last word loud enough for all the kids to hear it.

              All the kids clambered out of their seats and cheered, as opening presents meant cake soon after. Looking around, Lupin could not find Harry at first, but then spotted him happily laughing on Bill’s shoulders, the teen having obviously offered to give him a lift to the house. Thankful that his kitchen and dining room were big enough to handle everyone, he followed the crowd into his house.

              “Might I suggest, Mr. Lupin, that you have Harry hold off on opening my present until the crowds die down a bit? Only I think that it might cause a wee bit of jealousy.” McGonagall quietly stated from alongside of him.

              Having recognized the shape of the package, Lupin agreed and said “Yes, I have a package of my own that I’m holding off on as well. I’ll set them both aside.” Once everybody was comfortably in the house, Lupin rearranged the dining room chairs so that the adults could have a seat (thankfully he had just enough) while the children sat in front of them on the floor. Harry got the seat of honor on top of the dining room table, surrounded by his gifts. While everybody was distracted taking their seats, Lupin discretely set the two packages aside for later.

              “Would you mind terribly if you opened my present first? It’s the one with the dirigible plums on the wrapping. Xeno expected us back ages ago I’m sure, and we’re going exploring early tomorrow,” Willow requested serenely.

              Harry looked confused as to exactly what a dirigible plum might be, but Lupin picked out the small package right away and handed it to the boy. Upon unwrapping the present, Harry found a small book that looked to be handmade.

              “It’s a picture book that my mum and I did of all the magical creatures we’re searching for!” Luna piped up excitedly. Harry smiled genuinely at the small blonde girl who had been fairly quiet the rest of the afternoon, having mostly spoken to her friend Ginny.

              “Happy birthday Harry, we had a nice day, we’ll be back again if you’ll have us. Maybe next week?” proposed Luna’s mom.

              “Thank you for the book! I hope to see you soon?” Harry directed this query to Lupin.

              “I’m sure we can work something out, send me a note with the days you’re free,” Lupin said to Willow.

              Luna waved cheerily at everybody while Willow simply smiled and nodded to Lupin and took her daughter’s hand to leave.

              “Harry dear, do you think you could open ours next? I’d like to get Bill and Charlie home so they can work on their summer assignments,” Molly shot a look at the two teens who looked suitably chagrined at having put off their work for so long, “though the younger boys can stay here with Arthur a bit longer if they’d like. I think I’ll take Ginny home as well, since Luna’s left.”

              “Sure thing Molly. Maybe Ginny could come over with Luna next week?” Lupin suggested, as he handed the neatly wrapped package with a tag from the Weasleys to Harry.

              Harry opened the package neatly, and clutched the box tightly to his chest when he saw what it was. “Thank you ma’am!” he blurted out ecstatically. “I’ve never had a toy of my own before!” Harry released his hold on the toy just enough for Lupin to see that it was a small tin robot from Zonkos.

              Molly Weasley beamed at his excitement over the gift, having been worried that the inexpensive toy wouldn’t have been well received.

              “Thank you so much Molly.” Lupin said warmly, knowing that even the few knuts the toy cost her would have been a hardship. “I think we should take a break now and eat some cake, if that’s alright with you, Harry?” Harry nodded distractedly, still fascinated with his new robot.

              Lizzie jumped up to retrieve the cake she had slipped into the fridge earlier. Lupin had Harry scoot back far enough on the table for Lizzie to place the cake in front of him, and then waved his wand to light the candles. Lupin started the group singing “Happy Birthday” and everybody quickly joined in. Harry looked over the moon with joy, and quickly blew out all six candles on the cake, just as he’d watched Dudley do year after year. After they were all out, everybody cheered happily, and Lizzie began to serve up the cake, with of course the first piece going to Harry.

              “I do feel a bit bad that the Lovegoods left without cake,” remarked Lizzie.

              “Oh don’t worry too much dear, the whole family has been on a vegan diet for a few months to ‘realign themselves with Pluto’ or something, so I reckon Willow took Luna home so she wouldn’t feel bad about not getting cake,” offered Molly.

              “Well I guess that’s fair enough. I’ll look into vegan sweets for next week if she comes over,” Andrew said. Andrew and Lizzie were the owners of the town bakery, though Andrew did most of the actual running of the shop, as Lizzie had her own career as a hit witch to take up most of her time. They were both incredibly skilled bakers, however, as evidenced by the happy murmurings of the group.

              After everybody was finished with the cake and cleaned up, Mrs. Weasley gathered up Bill, Charlie and Ginny to take them home. Percy also elected to go home with his mum, claiming he wanted to read some more of the first year textbooks, even though he had another year before he even started at Hogwarts.

              Lupin handed Harry a tall, cylindrical shaped package wrapped in a very flowery paper. Harry carefully pulled off the wrapping to reveal a delicate plant that looked like it was made of crystal. It had red-ish bubbles instead of leaves, and was waving gently of its own accord.

              “That is a Bubble Fern,” explained Professor Sprout, “the bubbles will appear more red when it’s warm outside, and more blue when it’s cooler. If it’s waving, like it is now, then it’s going to snow or rain soon, and when the plant is still the weather will be dry.” The herbology professor smiled proudly at the plant, and Harry looked pleased at the gift as well. Sprout went on to explain the proper care of the plant, and then excused herself to take care of some plants back at the Hogwarts greenhouses.

              The next package Lupin handed Harry was from Liz, Andrew, Kat, and Westley. After opening the present, Harry looked at the set of four mirrors with a puzzled frown, wondering what exactly he was supposed to do with four hand mirrors.

              “Are those what I think they are?” Lupin asked Liz, smiling broadly.

              “Sure are! Kat had the four hand mirrors, Andrew transfigured them to make them look a bit cooler, and I put the charms on them! Harry, you can use those to talk with your friends! You keep one, and give the others to those you want to talk to. You’ll have to set each mirror to the name you want it to respond to, and then when you wish to speak to somebody all you have to do is say their name in front of your mirror and theirs will buzz. Andrew and I’ll help you finish setting them up later.” Harry’s smile stretched from ear to ear at Liz’s explanation of their present, obviously thrilled at having a way to communicate with his new friends after years of loneliness.

              “Alright Harry, why don’t you open this present from the Longbottoms and then you kids can all go play for a bit before everybody has to leave,” suggested Lupin.

              Harry nodded and took the long, thin package from Lupin’s hand. Inside the box he found a slender piece of wood.

              “That’s a toy wand, Harry. It doesn’t function as a normal wand, you’ll have to get that when you turn eleven, but you can use it to change the colours of things, levitate things a couple feet and shoot different coloured sparks. It’s mostly powered by its own enchantments, but it does use a little bit of your magic for intentions. Neville here got one for his birthday yesterday, and since you should have grown up together, I got you one too. Hopefully you’ll be able to see each other more often now.” The rather stern looking woman was teary-eyed, and Lupin knew that he’d have to explain the situation to Harry later. Harry, however, just scolded Neville for not telling him that it had been his birthday during lunch, and thanked Madame Longbottom profusely for the gift.

              Lupin lifted Harry off the table and placed him gently on the ground, before shooing him and the other kids out the door and into the yard. Harry stuck close to Neville, obviously having gotten close to him during lunch, but seemed to enjoy the company of the other boys as well. After about an hour, Arthur interrupted their game of tag (which Harry had taught everyone) to say that he really ought to get his boys home. Augusta decided that it was about time for Neville to go home as well, though she promised that they would certainly come back soon.

              Harry went to check on his kitten, but it was still sleeping just as soundly as when he had left it. Lupin had fed it while the boys were out playing, but was happy to see that Harry genuinely cared for the tiny creature. Having confirmed with Liz that Westley had one too, Lupin brought out McGonagall’s present and handed it to Harry.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses on McGonagall's present? As always, I welcome questions/comments/concerns/etc. Sorry for the slow posting! My roommate is now on my case though, so hopefully it'll come much quicker in the future! I'm working on the next chapter right now :) See you soon!

**Author's Note:**

> I welcome any comments, questions, concerns, thoughts, etc! Also, these chapters were written when I was sixteen, that's four years ago folks! My writing style has changed a smidge since then after four years of development and lots of practice, and while I did edit these chapters, I didn't want to rewrite the whole thing so subsequent chapters may have a slightly different feel to them. Nothing too major, and I like to think it's for the better! Also, since this is technically 3 chapters in one, they'll likely be a bit smaller. Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed!


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